Welcome to Elmville, 1929 Norman Rockwell (1894-1978) Oil on canvas "There was one kind of idea which I didn't have to struggle over—the timely idea. I'd just keep my ear to the wind and, when I heard of a craze or fad or anything which everyone was talking about, I'd do a cover of it." Welcome to Elmville was one such idea. Norman Rockwell said that at the time, rather than imposing new taxes on their citizens, towns were hiring police to set up speed traps and "fine their victims heavily."
The model for this pose was not one of the many professional models engaged by Rockwell when he lived in New Rochelle. Instead, he chose Dave Campion, the owner of a local news store, for this and for other images that required a character who was tall and lean. Positioning him in a crouching position gives his body angles that create movement. The arbitrary shadow behind him adds to this effect. The small streaks of white paint in the foreground tell us a car has just careened by. Painting for The Saturday Evening Post cover, April 20, 1929 33 x 27 inches Norman Rockwell Museum Collection, NRM.1979.3 ©1929 SEPS: Licensed by Curtis Publishing, Indianapolis, IN